The California Association of Dance/Drill Team Directors’ convention at Sonora High School brought together students from 20 California high schools Oct. 26 for a full day of master classes and inter-team bonding.

The school’s gym was turned into a booming center for education and camaraderie, providing dance and drill teams the rare opportunity to train among their competitors. With eight classes occurring simultaneously throughout the day, students had ample opportunity to immerse themselves in styles ranging from ballroom to drill team technique.

The association is a nonprofit organization that provides quality technique and instruction while encouraging competitive teams to support each other throughout the competition season. As time has progressed, the group has expanded to include many genres of dance, including hip-hop, lyrical and musical theater.

Sandy Johnson, an association board member who has been involved since the group’s beginnings, recalled, “When I started, it was all military and drill. If you danced, it was precision dance – but now (it) has lyrical, novelty, hip-hop and ballroom.”

Because not all students have had secondary training in dance studios, the convention strives to offer dancers the opportunity experiment with styles not taught at their individual schools.

Kristen Tett, the association’s communications chairwoman, praised the group’s diverse teaching staff and said the organization is committed to bringing in successful and well-known dancers and choreographers.

“We have Kaitlin Regan teaching, who is in a professional modern company, and hip-hop dancer Tim Stevenson, who is successful in the commercial industry,” Tett said. “We’ve also had Cirque du Soleil dancers teach in the past.”

Nikelle Guzman, an Esperanza High School senior, was excited to try out new styles like ballroom. “As a dancer, it’s good to be versatile,” she said. “I would never take ballroom by myself, but we get the opportunity to try it here.”

Troy High School senior Nikki Cuerdo said the range of styles forces her past her comfort zone. Although she is classically trained, she loved taking hip-hop and musical theater classes at the convention. “(The convention) is expanding my definition of what dance is,” Cuerdo said. “It’s helping me become less pigeonholed by giving me experience in a wide variety of genres.”

Cuerdo hopes to pursue a minor in dance, but the convention is just as beneficial for those who do not see dance in their future, Tett said. “Even for dancers that aren’t going to be professionals, branching out and trying something new is such an enriching educational experience.”

Just as the convention forces dancers to train in styles outside their comfort zones, it also requires students to interact with kids from other schools and cities. Justin An, a sophomore at Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, was surprised at how easy it was to meet new people.

“Everyone is so happy, and there is a great vibe in the room,” An said, smiling. “We’re all just here together doing what we love. It’s a great experience.”

Anna Stramler, a Sonora High School junior, said the convention has helped her become more extroverted through interacting with dancers from other schools. Sonora’s team can benefit from learning choreography in a room with new people, she said.

“Our team isn’t always going to be made up of the same girls, so we need to learn to deal with new people too,” she said.

Guzman agreed. “This convention is a good pre-competition environment but we can also appreciate their strengths and work on our weaknesses. Being in this setting pushes us to look our best.”

Throughout, Tett continued to drive home the group’s main goal: to foster lasting friendships among schools in a positive environment.

“(Dancers) have fun learning the dances,” she said, “but at the end of the day, they come away with great experiences and memories of bonding with other teams.”

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.